Poverty and Obesity

Do people know this, not many people do know about the American food industry because the government tries to cover it up because they know that the way they do stuff is bad. If people knew that most of their food is pumped full of bad stuff and the fact that the animals are killed in the worst way possible the consumers would not buy the food. That is why the government covers it up and makes it look like that does not

The Federal government for years has told people what they should and should not put in their bodies. Whether it’s Tran’s fat or cigarettes, sugar or alcohol, saturated or salt, legislators and regulators pick things off our table because they think they know better. For example, considering the widespread of obesity in America, it is substantiated by statistics that “the cost of obesity is currently estimated at $190 billion per year” and the bad thing about it’s coming from taxpayers. (Experts, The) I have several issues with this statement: first, the simple fact that the government is spending money on a disease that humans caused on themselves. According to the article” What Causes Obesity?” it is stated that “The risk factors that contribute to obesity can be a complex combination of genetics, socioeconomic factors, metabolic factors and lifestyle choices”. Sadly, citizens have not much choice but to pay higher taxes. And finally, the simple fact that the government is spending money on ineffective solutions. According to the article, ‘Government Intervention Will Not Solve Our Obesity Problem’, it is stated that “despite the myriad of studies showing American obesity is increasing, research does not clearly support that government can solve this complex problem’ (Marlow) For example, the government solution of adding calories counts on the menu. A recent study has shown that “27.7 percent who saw the calorie labeling” had

The problem with food production in America is the mistreatment of livestock, the overproduction of corn in America, and the amount of corn feeded to the animals ; these issues affect consumers’ health because of the amount of diabetes has been increasing over years. Michael Pollan in "When a Crop Becomes King” he explains that the government pays for corn to be grown a lot more then it should be ,David Barboza in the article “If You Pitch it , They will Eat It” the way companies just want to get into kids mind by tricking them into telling their parents to buy them unhealthy food just for the toy it comes with, In “Pleasures of Eating,” Wendell Berry most of the people just rather be eating out then making food. There is uncertainty about the way food is produce because we cannot control people on what they

Over the last thirty years, there has been an increase in the widespread presence of childhood obesity, as reported by the American Obesity Association (AOA) in Eliadis’ (2006) commentary article. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood obesity “is now considered the number one nutritional public health concern of children and adolescents in the United States” (Sealy, Y., & Farmer, G., 2011). Individuals living in high-poverty neighborhoods; along with multiple other risk factors; have an increased rate of overall physical health disparities and inequalities (Komro, K.A., Flay, B.R. Bigland, A., 2011). This paper examines eight peer reviewed articles of research, studies and statistical data on childhood obesity in high-poverty neighborhoods and highlights the social worker’s role in the epidemic of childhood obesity.

According to Wall Street Journal, “More than 33% of adults who earn less than $15,000 per year were obese, compared with 24.6% of those who earn at least $50,000 per year.” (Izzo 2011) Processed foods such as cheeseburger or French fries tend to be cheaper than buying healthier ingredients and making home cooked food. When people have lower incomes, they do suffer from food insecurity, which is an important connection between poverty and obesity. Two reasons can contribute to obesity: parents are working and are no longer at home with their children and therefore not able to cook balanced meals; and foods with high fat are cheaper than healthy foods.

Journalist and novelist Michael Pollan writes about the trials and tribulations surrounding food in North America and raises questions regarding Western diet, which is mostly comprised of refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup and corn in general. He reiterates that chemically generated food is creating disease in North Americans; If we eliminate these factors and adopt the eating habits of less industrialized places in the world will we in our lifetime see rates of heart disease, type two diabetes and obesity decline dramatically? The western diet has evolved drastically in the last sixty years, so much so that people have become codependent on the government, dietitians and food agencies regarding their health and what to consume. The land is suffering from pesticides and singular plant farming, the alternative to this is to buy organic but at a higher price. Media has influenced the consumer to read the label and accept and trust the daily vitamin percentages on the box, as this is what is best for them. Money is the key factor in all of this and the government, scientific research and media know that, therefor the public is in for a shock when they realize that the very labels that are supposed to save them have fooled them.

Obesity is a classified disorder that occurs in the body when someone overeats which results to an immoderate body weight. This happens to be the central cause of death in America according to CDC (Center of Disease Control and Prevention). States with low income, who live in poverty often are dealing with obesity due to either food insecurity, or their area being a food dessert this often deals with the state’s location, money (income), and the society’s attitude towards food. There is a link between poverty and obesity because usually when living in poverty the area does not have lots of fresh foods, so the people there turn to the unhealthy foods because they are more affordable in their region.

Corn is not the ideal nutritious food. It wreaks havoc on the animal;s' digestive system and gets turned into sweeteners that makes people obese, aside from giving us an unhealthy diet. In other words, the industrial food chain that American man is sustained on is largely based on corn, whether in its direct form, fed to livestock, or processed into chemicals such as glucose, and the cheapest forms of these are high-fructose corn syrup and ethanol. The former, particularly, through a combination of biological, cultural, and political factors, appears in the cheapest and most common of foods that constitute the American diet. It is the ingredient that results in obesity, and, since it appears in the cheapest products, the ingredients that more poor, than wealthier individuals, consume.

As seen in the film Fed Up, obesity in the U.S. can be traced back to changes in food production. The novel Gaining Ground by Forrest Pritchard describes an alternative food system option in which family farms and farmer’s markets become once again important components of the U.S. food system. The American food system has evolved

Body mass index, or BMI, is used by doctors and health physicians to measure excessively high levels of body fat in relation to lean body mass in an individual. Having a BMI ratio that is considered above average or too high normally denotes persons at risk to several health adversities such as heart attacks, liver damage, diabetes, and even more widespread, obesity. In 2005, the United States Department of Health and Human Services estimated that over half of the adult American population was either overweight or obese, and many of these health concerns were correlated with a person’s diet and type of food consumption. In an attempt to assign blame for the cause, political and social commentators’ claim that long standing farm subsidies on particular food commodities correlate with rising obesity trends in America. In a documentary titled Food, Inc., opened to audience in 2008, award winning filmmaker Robert Kenner argues that current agricultural policies on these subsidized food commodities are allowing major food corporations to mass produce products that negatively affect the health of consumers nationwide. He contends that commodity crops such as corn, wheat, and soybeans are heavily subsidized by the government to produce snack foods that are high in calorie content but low in cost, becoming the prime choice for Americans looking for cheap and readily available foods to eat. Kenner believes that government subsidies need to either be

Behind all the corn, the processing, and the food that results, is the man in charge: food corporations. Because of food corporations greed for money, processed foods have escalated out of control, causing a serious health epidemic: obesity. Michael Pollan, also author

The sociological aspect of obesity shown through the impact of families, the government and the economy. The rapidly growing, fast-paced, technological society creates an epidemic of sorts. Families pursue the use of technology, restaurants and fast-paced eating as well as single parenting and parental denial. The government sets a significant health care cost to obesity, which prevents a solution and increases risks. A non-stable economy brings about a society filled with unemployment or multiple jobs as well as both parents working to stay above absolute or relative poverty leading to distractions from a healthy lifestyle. Obesity is a concern, not just for an individual but also for

After watching the Food Inc. documentary I now look at our nation’s food industry differently. As a consumer I feel that there are many things being hidden from us. Nowadays the top four companies for meat control about eighty percent of the market. There’s only about three or four companies controlling everything and they are more powerful than ever. A majority of these companies are putting profit over consumer’s health. They are not considerate about the health and safety of the food produced or about the animals being raised. We have bigger and better food now but we have also have obesity, and diabetes problems and many other health related deficiencies that use to not be as big of an issue back then.

Since the food industry is working hand in hand with the government and many animals are harmed by these food industries, there are many things we can do to give less power to these food corporations. One person can’t do it alone. If we all work together, the government may finally recognize us. Sadly, and truthfully, the government usually takes the side of the ones more powerful. If we don’t appear powerful and all of us go our separate ways and do it half-heartedly, the government will not take us seriously. From the documentary Food Inc., we have learned just how much food companies are playing us consumers as well as their workers. I personally believe that, as Americans, we should be ashamed. For people who live in the land of the free, we are not even free enough to talk about what is harming our bodies, and who are harming our bodies. What is the point of calling ourselves “the land of the free” if it is in name

What if tomorrow’s news headline read, “U.S. GOVERNMENT BANS THE SALE OF KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUTS?” How would the country react? According to a study released by the National Center for Health Statistics (2008), “32.7% of American adults were overweight…an additional 34.3% were obese, and that 5.9% were extremely obese” (McGuinness 43). Americans are overweight and obesity is the cause of tens of thousands of preventable deaths in the nation each year (McGuinness 42). The nation is suffering a public health crisis due to overconsumption of nutritionally void food and beverages where “unhealthy eating and sedentary living has become the societal norm” (McGuinness 46). Some believe that the government should intervene by regulating American’s diets; however, others maintain that government intervention would set a dangerous precedent by undermining individual freedoms. Allowing the government to intervene is a slippery slope and could potentially lead to more intrusive actions (“Slippery Slope” 1). Instead of abrogating personal choice the government should re-evaluate the support it gives to institutions that contribute to the obesity epidemic.